Kane: ‘I Want to Get to a Point Where Obviously You Put Yourself in Consideration for the Team’

Captain of the Detroit Red Wings, Dylan Larkin, echoed these sentiments while being interviewed by Jason Benetti of FanDuel Sports Detroit. Additionally, Patrick Kane will be looking to defy Father Time as he embarks on his third season with the Red Wings. The one thing that Kane has not been able to accomplish in his illustrious career is winning an Olympic gold medal for Team USA. The 36-year-old was invited to the recent United States Men’s Olympic Orientation Camp.

NHL players will represent their countries in the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, Italy, in 2026 for the first time since 2014. Team USA lost the bronze medal game to Finland by a score of 5-0. Kane had four assists in six games during the tournament. At this point in his career, Kane was 25 years old and in the prime of his career, yet he had been able to bounce back from hip-resurfacing surgery in June of 2023.

Kane does not want to be a ceremonial part of Team USA, however. “I want to get to a point where obviously you put yourself in consideration for the team just on your play, right? Not for your name or what you’ve done in the past,” Kane said. “That’s the goal going into this year.” The Red Wings have not made the Stanley Cup playoffs in nine seasons. Head coach Todd McLellan will have a full training camp to assemble the team he believes will give the Red Wings the best chance to succeed.

“It’s a good situation for me, especially coming in with Todd McLellan as a coach,” Kane said recently during the NHL’s Player Media Tour in Las Vegas. “I played a lot better under him when we made the switch. The team started playing more aggressively and playing better. Playing in the top six, playing on the power play. As you get older, you want to win, and I think we can do that there.”

In 72 games played during the 2024-25 season, Kane scored 21 goals and added 38 assists. Kane had the fourth-most goals on the Red Wings team last season. These 72 games were 22 more than Kane played during his first season with the Red Wings after recovering from hip-resurfacing surgery. I was critical of the signing of Kane at the time, as I did not see him being able to return to form after such surgery.

A three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks, Kane is one of the most decorated American NHL players in the history of the league. “Listen, obviously, the numbers are great. But for me…I love being in a moment where the team needs to count on you and you need to step up, right? That’s the kind of thrill that drives me now.” Kane did not make Team USA’s roster for the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament during the 2024-25 NHL season.